ADVENT at St. Mary's: A Ceremony of Carols

An exquisite concert of music for Advent and Christmas, including Benjamin Britten's timeless 'A Ceremony of Carols', performed by Crux Vocal Ensemble and harpist Clíona Doris. Enjoy carols from Ireland, Spain and further afield, including Rachmaninov's beautiful setting of the Ave Maria (from his 'Vespers'), a sweet 'Lully, Lulla' by contemporary composer Philip Stopford, Fiontán Ó Cearbhaill's 'Suantraí ár Slánaitheora' and a rousing finale. The concert, which will last around an hour, will also include poetry, readings and your candles blessed by Fr. Miron. **** Crux has been based at St. Mary's Church since 2011, contributing to the liturgy there on Sundays (and on special feast days) by singing beautiful, curated sacred music. The only such professional (mixed-voice) quartet in Ireland, Crux has performed at concerts and festivals around Ireland and the UK, while chant recordings by the group play on continuous loop at various historical centres such as the Interpretative Centres of King John's Castle Limerick and Clondalkin Round Tower. In addition, Crux is active in the TV and film industry, heard in over a dozen movie soundtracks and performing in hit series such as History Channel's 'Vikings'. In 2008 the ensemble recorded an album of plainchant on the Crashed Music label, reviewed by presenter Tim Thurston (RTÉ Lyric FM) who described it as "Some of the most beautiful singing I have heard from an Irish choir". The Irish Catholic's review said "To hear the liquid voices of Crux is a rare experience to be treasured", while the Church Times (UK) wrote "This refreshingly energised ensemble is to be relished". Clíona Doris is one of Ireland's leading harpists and Professor at TU Dublin, lecturing in harp, artistic research and performance studies. Further accolades are too numerous to include here, so please visit her website to fully appreciate her impressive resumé and areas of interest: https://www.clionadoris.com/biography